Photos:
For all Daytona Championship photos and more, please click here.
SuperChamps, Round Seven
Daytona Milton Keynes
SuperChamps Season Two returned to a cold and icy Daytona Milton Keynes for Round Seven, with treacherous track conditions playing a major role throughout the morning.
SODI karts were first on circuit for Qualifying, and it was Barry Morris who immediately flew to the top of the times. The Heavyweight driver topped the overall times by over half a second with Adam Pughe following him home in second in the Heavyweight class, with Charlie Fenton completing the top three. In the Lightweight category, margins were incredibly tight. Edward Thurgood secured pole position by just over three tenths of a second from Declan Pires, with James Callan in third, the top three lightweights covered by just six tenths of a second. In DMAX Qualifying, Freddie Jenkins was the standout in the Lightweight field, topping the times and finishing over eight tenths clear of Jacob Csepreghi in second. Dawid Sniezko claimed third, with the top three separated by less than a second. The Heavyweight session was even closer. Ashley Mayston-King topped the times, but only by the narrowest of margins, with Ross Sandwell just half a tenth of a second behind. Josh Hamilton took third as the chequered flag fell, the top three covered by only half a second. The SODI Shootout produced thrilling racing across both classes. In the Lightweight field, Dominic Flemming charged through the pack from 11th on the grid to take the race win. A tense battle developed in the closing laps between Flemming and Edward Thurgood, but Flemming held firm, with Thurgood forced to settle for second. Aston Tempany-McColm completed the podium after an equally impressive rise from P12 at race start. In the Heavyweight Shootout, Barry Morris converted pole position into a commanding race win. Adam Pughe applied pressure in the early stages but ultimately finished over 2.5 seconds behind in second. Charlie Fenton took third after a race-long battle with Ash Chivers, holding onto the position by less than eight tenths of a second at the flag. The DMAX Lightweight Shootout featured another fierce contest, this time between Dawid Sniezko and Freddie Jenkins. Sniezko managed to break free in the latter stages, taking the win by just over two seconds. Jenkins finished second, with Jacob Csepreghi in third, just over eight seconds back from the leading duo. In the Heavyweight field, Ashley Mayston-King converted pole into victory finishing over three seconds clear of Ross Sandwell on the road. However, after a post-race penalty for Sandwell, Josh Hamilton was promoted to second, with Arthur Langley taking third.
The Feature race kicked off with SODI Lightweight class’, Aston Tempany-McColm and Dominic Flemming going wheel-to-wheel lap after lap in a gripping fight for the lead. Tempany-McColm ultimately edged ahead to take his first race win of the season and a valuable haul of championship points. Flemming finished second, missing out on victory by less than a tenth of a second. Lewis Bowey recovered from a poor start to charge through the field and secure third. In the Heavyweight race, Barry Morris completed a perfect day, taking another dominant win, maximum points, and setting the fastest lap of the day in class. Charlie Fenton managed to find a way past Adam Pughe to take second, with Pughe settling for third. Ash Chivers narrowly missed out on the podium by under four tenths of a second. The DMAX Feature Race saw Dawid Sniezko in complete control of the Lightweight class, taking a dominant victory and finishing over 16 seconds ahead of Freddie Jenkins in second. Jacob Csepreghi rounded out the podium, missing out on a second-place finish by just over half a second. In the Heavyweight category, Ashley Mayston-King capped off a flawless round by securing his second race win of the day, maximum points, and the fastest lap in class. Following post-race penalties, Josh Hamilton was promoted to second, with Arthur Langley completing the podium.
InKart, Round Seven
Daytona Tamworth
An icy morning played host to the penultimate round of Inkart at Daytona Tamworth. With three grids set to take to the circuit, it was going to be one of our most competitive rounds yet.
There was a four-way tie for pole position in the Cadet class heading into the A-Final, where Hugo Macmillan's fantastic fastest lap put him on pole, just ahead of fellow championship contender Freya Lally. Jack Mills and Nathan Grech were the second row of the grid. Logan Staunton was on pole for the B-Final. Our B-Final was incredibly competitive. With promotion on the line, Rhys Onions kept it cool and won by three seconds in the difficult conditions. He was not the fastest driver on the track, as Greyson Scandrett took fastest lap, bravely holding onto the podium ahead of debutant Harry Walsh. In the middle was Logan Staunton, who drove brilliantly for second. Despite being on pole, Macmillan was unable to hold on to victory as he got overtaken by a charging Freya Lally at the start of the race. She went on to build an impressive sixteen second lead, taking fastest lap by nearly an entire second. Macmillan was able to finish second, after a superb battle with Jack Mills, by just three tenths of a second.
As has been something of a theme so far this season, Zachary Smith dominated the Heats in the Junior class, winning both of them and putting himself on pole position for the Final. We had a tie for second place, however, with both Tyler Shanks and Jayden Steatham scoring the same points across the two heats. It was Shanks who had the superior fastest lap and therefore would start alongside Smith on the front row. Patterns were slightly disturbed in the Final, as it was not Zachary Smith who took victory despite him taking the fastest lap of the race. He lost some positions off the start and tried desperately to claw himself back up the order and to the lead. Unfortunately for Smith, he misjudged a move on the Ninth Lap of the fifteen-minute contest and got a five second time penalty for a bump and pass, a frustrating setback that would demote him to fourth from second at the end of the race. Jayden Steatham held on in Smith's absence to claim his first victory of the season, three seconds ahead of reigning champion Reuben Potter. Potter was in the three-way scrap with Smith and Shanks for the podium, Shanks ending up in third by just four hundredths after a drag race to the line with Potter.
Daytona Sandown Park
We returned to Daytona Sandown Park for InKart Round Seven, this penultimate race of the season held on the Cup format in the Alternate layout held particular significance as our tightly bunched drivers fought for championship supremacy in the closing moments of the season.
The Cadet crown of the day went the way of Hadi Chaudry, who held true to phenomenal form over the course of this season, taking a perfect score of 61, with a commanding win in the last race of the day. This places Chaudry in strong position heading into the Final Round on Sunday 18th. Jenson Fuller took the coveted P2 position, muscling out Ethan Davis in P3. Fuller’s form this season has also been impeccable, however, with only a handful of races under his belt his shot at championship contention has only been faltered by a lack of rounds attended. Unlike Davis, who is still firmly in the running’s for a podium position. Lucio Vaval and Desmond Bryan equally sit firmly at the top end of the standings, their Round Seven retaining consistent driving but falling just shy of the top three positions on the field.
The Juniors provided and equally interesting prospect for the spectators of the InKart series. Milan Pillay, like Chaudry, took a phenomenal victory, with perfect scores across the board to take home a 61 score highlighting wins across all races and a fastest lap bonus point to boot. Round Seven marks the first victory of Pillay’s season, and a well-deserved one, with strong performances across the course of the season, this win marks significant improvement and an exciting prospect to shake up the results of the Final, not to mention coming seasons of the InKart series and beyond. George Pitch and Daniel Marutyak took P2 and P3 respectively, those scores mirrored across all the races of the day. These vital points allowing Marutyak’s position at the top of the standings to hold firm, while Round Seven’s P4 driver, Daniel Harman sits just shy of the seasons lead. One thing is certain, the Final on Sunday 18th will come with fireworks.
Photos:
For all Daytona Championship photos and more, please click here.